Familiar Faces
by PixieRed
Summary: Penelo is tasked with hand delivering a letter from Al-Cid to Larsa.


Penelo focused on the exaggerated rise and fall of her chest rather than the few centimeters of concrete and the tens of meters of open air between her and a cobblestone demise. An icy twisting flare of nerves fired through her torso at the thought of taking several arrows to the rib cage and then having to face a lengthy fall.

No, that was silly, surely Archadian guards would want to capture would-be assassins alive to get information. Then it would just be the embarrassment of having Larsa or Basch bail her out, assuming they would. It had been a while after all. Penelo had sent letters now and again, but wasn't sure whether they had ever gotten to Larsa or whether he had any time to read them. It wasn't like he could write back. Lack of contact made the increasingly infrequent updates she wrote seem more and more sanitized and impersonal. Still, she figured her chances were better there than what would happen should an over eager guard let loose some shafts in her direction.

For the moment, Penelo was pretty sure her Vanish had not yet faded, but time was running out. It was absurdly unfair that the Archadians had an anti-magick field surrounding their emperor's abode. The generation of such a powerful effect was the privilege of Espers alone, yet somehow Archadia had managed to figure it out. Fortunately it seemed rather localized, not even covering the entirety of the manse, but Penelo wouldn't have been surprised to see Archadia extend it to Paling size some day.

Penelo inched her way along the ledge, pressing her hands and back and against the rough grainy concrete, as if the friction provided a more assuring grip. She was usually confident in her footwork, but the decorative trim she stood on did not leave much room for error. Furthermore, she knew she was recklessly rushing, trying to find cover before her Vanish wore off.

Vaan was off ensuring most of the guards were distracted. Penelo worried about him as well, and at the same time cursed him for her present predicament. It had made sense, sending her into the manse. While still no match for Balthier, Vaan was making a name for himself, and it would be all the more difficult for Larsa or Basch to explain should he get caught. Despite being at his side the entire time, Penelo was still a relative unknown.

That was a bit of a sore spot for Penelo. It was true that she hadn't been the instigator of most escapades, but she still played an important role. She knew it shouldn't matter and for the most part it didn't, but she felt a bit of a sting hearing everyone but herself mentioned. Filo had long since surpassed her in that field – and had even declared that she would beat both Balthier and Vaan in notoriety. Kytes' ever-changing hero-figure seemed to have at one point been everyone but her, despite the fact that he was a magick-user just as she.

Penelo wondered if Fran ever felt this way. It seemed unlikely, Fran was above all that, not to mention someone people were unlikely to forget.

A light breeze seemed somehow treacherous from the side of a building. Penelo pressed more of her skin into the walls and shifted her legs to try to prevent her pants from ballooning even further. She wasn't exactly dressed for a cool Archadian night of creeping around he emperor's house. Al-Cid had wanted his letter delivered as soon as possible, directly to Lord Larsa and expressly not through Basch. It seemed a bit suspicious, but Al-Cid had always done right by them in the past.

The original idea had been that Penelo would sneak past the guards and through the house to Lord Larsa. Getting in had not been an issue, between the Vanish and Penelo's lightness of foot, the guards had not stirred in the slightest. However, she had not been expecting quite so many closed double doors and interior guards. In a crowning moment of bad luck, after all the effort put into sneaking into Lord Larsa's bedroom, Penelo had found it empty. Apparently emperors kept late hours.

Afterwards, Penelo decided to plunge herself into the more densely guarded areas, hoping to find Lord Larsa. When she reached an impasse approaching from all possible directions, she had gotten the at-the-time seemingly bright idea of scaling along the outside of the building.

With the wind picking up, Penelo decided it would be best to duck into the next open window, if she could make it there. She hoped her Vanish would hold long enough to find somewhere safe to hide. The light coming from within indicated there was a very good chance the room was occupied. She fought her way over, gulped, and grabbed the window frame, spinning around to enter the room.

Finding a large desk up against the wall, Penelo crawled in, trying not to rustle any papers or cause any sounds. However, her Vanish must have chosen just that moment to give out, because she soon found she had locked stares with Vayne Solidor.

Penelo stopped instantly, her left hand in the midst of a step. She breathed in sharply. Instinctively, she looked behind the man, as if to see the Occurian Venat there as well. She knew she should run, but had no idea where to and instead could do nothing but continue to stare, eyes widened and mouth slightly agape. Her heart was threatening to beat its way out of her chest. They had killed Vayne, how was this possible?

Then it became more clear. No, this was not Vayne. His features were softer, younger. His skin didn't look as if he had endured month long campaigns in the sand. His dress was aristocratic instead of militant. His hair was smooth instead of tightly curled. Penelo squinted thoughtfully. Could this be Larsa?

Well, it was a bit silly of her to have been expecting a twelve year old boy.

Penelo's thoughts were interrupted when the man got up from his seat and started speaking. "Please forgive my rudeness Penelo. I had not been expecting you. I'm being a terrible host," he started, looking down at his hands. He turned towards her, offering her a hand. "Please, come in. Welcome to my home."

It was definitely Larsa and yet Penelo couldn't convince her expression to change from its incredulous state. She took Larsa's hand and stepped down from the desk. Standing face-to-face, she discovered he was a good deal taller than her now as well. She finally broke her gaze and managed to spit something out. "D-don't be silly, this is my fault," she said. She composed herself and looked back up at him. Somehow, she managed not to say something cliché about how much he had grown. "It's been a long time."

Larsa smiled in that way of his that was both calming and unnerving, as if he knew what she was thinking but was trying to be polite and inviting. "Indeed," he replied. "So, to what do I owe this visit?"

"I have a letter," Penelo said as she stepped back from him and retrieved the letter from her person. "It's from Al-Cid. He didn't want it going through Basch."

Larsa pursed his lips and looked away for a moment. "That is strange."

"I know," Penelo looked away guiltily. "I saw him pen it with his own hand but did not see what he wrote. I can open it for you if you think..."

Larsa took the letter from her with one hand, clasping his other over hers. "Please don't concern yourself over it Penelo. I'm sure it is not harmful." He let go and smiled. "I hope you don't mind if I read it over now, since it's urgent."

"Of course! Go right ahead!" Penelo was unused to Larsa's manners. Normal people would have just opened it. She wasn't sure whether he was really expecting an answer though or if it was a rhetorical formalism. She somehow felt embarrassed. She had no worries dealing with folk from across Ivalice, but somehow the intricacies and various levels of Archadian manners made her lose her confidence.

While Larsa sat back down at his desk and began poring over the letter, Penelo tried to be quiet and not break anything. She looked around the room, taking in its splendor. Not only did all the furniture match, but it was made out of thick Bloodwood. Penelo wondered how many staves could be made out of the large cabinet alone. Judging from the individual pieces, Penelo assumed this must be Larsa's study. The room wasn't large enough or oriented in such a way that he would accept normal business there.

Then Penelo lifted her head and saw it – a large painting of Vayne Solidor. She shuddered and then she frowned. She figured it would be best just not to look at it, but now that she had noticed, she couldn't help but keep returning to it. She wondered if perhaps they could adjourn to a different room.

Examining the painting further, she did start to notice the differences between the two brothers, other than just age and lifestyle. They were definitely related, but there were differences in the shapes of their noses and jaw lines. Really, it was ridiculous that she had confused the two. Admittedly, it had been years since she had come face to face with Vayne, and her memory was probably a little hazy, not to mention partially fused with what non-human entity Vayne became. She shuddered again, her eyes darting to Larsa, to see if he had noticed. Thankfully, he was busy poring over the letter.

Penelo spent the rest of the time fidgeting with her own fingers, staring at them rather than looking around the room any more. It was habit to do when thinking about something or when she didn't really know where else to look. Fortunately, Larsa did not take much longer. He read fast and thought even faster.

"Is it – " Penelo started as Larsa turned towards her in his chair.

"It's good news," said Larsa. He smiled reassuringly. "It seems Al-Cid believes he may have located some relatives of Basch who sought refuge in Rozarria."

"That is good news!" Penelo smiled broadly. She paused in thought. "But then why go through all this trouble for the letter?"

"Basch... " Larsa looked down and away, veiling his eyes with his long lashes. "Basch would always put duty before family, no matter how much it pains him."

"Oh, right," said Penelo. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'll send him to Rozarria on 'official' business. Al-Cid will take care of it from there."

"Will you be okay with out him?" Penelo asked. She immediately wanted to to take it back though. She could see how it could be insulting. This was the boy who they had found wandering around the Garif village alone at the age of twelve.

"I appreciate your concern Penelo," Larsa began. He had a way of making everything she said seem okay. "However, I assure you there is nothing to worry about. It seems we are enjoying a fair deal of stability in Arcadia – no, in the entire region."

Penelo nodded. While she and Vaan were always finding themselves involved in situations that had widespread consequences, the threat of war was no longer looming over all their heads. At the same time, she was sure that peace was not so easily held together and one could never guess when some crazy might go after an emperor.

"Though, Al-Cid has indicated that Vaan and yourself have no pressing plans," Larsa spoke as he stood up and walked over to where Penelo was standing. "Perhaps the two of you would consider being my personal guards while Basch is away. You would be rewarded for your efforts, of course."

Penelo looked up at Larsa. She couldn't help but also see the portrait of Vayne behind him. "I would have to speak to Vaan. I really should return before he gets caught. He was distracting the guards for me."

"I see," said Larsa. He walked over to one of his cabinets and opened the double doors. Penelo could see various bottles within. Some were the familiar shape and color of the more expensive potions. Others looked like they might be potions as well but Penelo did not recognize them. There were also wide glass jars, each filled with a different herb or mote. Penelo did not doubt that any physician would envy the stockpile Larsa possessed.

The room was silent save for the sound of Larsa placing a glass lid on the counter while he retrieved three motes. Penelo shifted her weight a couple times. She knew she shouldn't be nervous. Larsa had always been kind to her. It was hard resolving the little Larsa she knew with the man in the room with her, even though his personality had not changed. Then there was the disturbing fact that he seemed to spend a lot of time in a room with Vayne's portrait looming over him. Penelo tried not to look at it.

"Penelo?"

"Yes!?" Penelo quickly looked up at Larsa. He had resumed his position a couple steps in front of her.

"Here, give me your hand." Larsa supported her slightly cupped hand from underneath with his own. He brought his other hand over hers and deposited the motes. "The violet ones are prototype Vanish motes from Draklor laboratory. They should remain effective twice as long as the normal ones. There's one for you to escape and then one for each you and Vaan to return. The others are prototype Float motes. They should aid your descent. Neither should be affected by the anti-magick field. Will you be okay using the window again? It looks terribly perilous. I could distract the door guards for you if you wish."

"I'll be fine. I'm the one supposed to be protecting you this time anyway," Penelo said, smiling faintly as she teased him. She tried to hide her apprehension. She did not want to burden Larsa further and she had to admit she was a bit curious as to how the Draklor prototypes would function. "I'll be back soon, with Vaan."

"Be careful Penelo."

"I will," Penelo said as she vanished.

#-#-#-#-#

Larsa stood in place until he was fairly certain that Penelo had left. He then turned around and looked up, finding the portrait of his brother Vayne, as he expected. He had half hoped it had been something else Penelo had been repeatedly glancing back to, but had known the truth of the matter the entire time.

"I see," he said to himself. He couldn't help but be disappointed. Larsa recalled when he first met Penelo. She had that same look of anxiety around Archadians, especially soldiers. To him, she represented all the people of the places Archadia had conquered. Back then, he was disappointed as well. He wanted an Archadia that people did not only fear. In a way, he had made it his mission to show Penelo that not all Archadians were frightening.

Penelo had been guarded at first but soon treated him just as anyone else. Now that he had gained a few years, Larsa realized he must have seemed the little boy desperate to play with the big kids when he inserted himself into their party at the Garif village. He had learned a lot during their journey, though not as he had intended. His early steps into the world of political intrigue seemed foolish now, and yet he didn't regret them.

Larsa felt hopeful with the relationships he had forged on his journey. Vaan's optimism and continuously innocent outlook could be positively contagious. Penelo, who had been so timid during their first real conversation, was a source of strength when he needed it most. Even Filo and Kytes, who he feared would hate him, were eager to become friends.

Though it was true Larsa hadn't had time to maintain much of a friendship with Penelo and Vaan over the years, he had felt that somehow, things would always remain the same. He regretted the way in which they had not.

Intellectually, Larsa understood that the people did not look upon Vayne favorably. That was why he had kept the portrait in a private area. It was true that Vayne had did a lot of deplorable things and that the ends did not justify the means. However, Larsa couldn't help but believe that a lot of what Vayne did was for the future good – his future good and Archadia's future good.

Vayne had left Larsa with an Archadia free of both Occurian bonds and Senate corruption. Larsa had been able to rebuild the Senate with progressively thinking individuals. The ability to keep control of the state with House Solidor had been in part thanks to the belief his father, Vayne, Gabranth and the others had fostered in the people about Larsa's eventual rise to the throne.

Larsa had gathered that at one point, his father had been grooming Vayne for such a position. He wasn't sure how exactly the change had occurred, but had come to understand that Vayne believed himself too bloodied for the Archadia he worked to buile. All of them had done such terrible things, believing they had to, while placing the hope of a gentler generation with him. Larsa knew that no one could do his job being as clean as he was as a child, but because of his upbringing, he at least approached the tough decisions with a different outlook and a different understanding of the people.

When Larsa thought of all that Vayne had done, he could not simply cast him aside. Someone needed to remember his contributions. Time would wash away the strong emotions and eventually Vayne could take a honest place in history. Larsa couldn't help but hope that Penelo would come to understand.

Larsa also couldn't help but wonder if Penelo's reactions were somehow a punishment for all those times he had looked at Basch and for a moment thought, or even wished, that he was the real Gabranth.

Turning to his cabinet, Larsa began tiding up the jars. He had hurried with the motes earlier, so not to keep Penelo waiting. Larsa had once hoped to become a doctor. Upon learning that his mother had died in childbirth and that two older brothers had passed away as well, he developed an interest in the healing arts. House Solidor had never been particularly blessed when it came to magicks, so Larsa had turned to science. A couple years later he had figured out how his older brothers had died and that his future was one in politics. By then though, he had already cultivated an interest in potions, motes and other items of that nature.

Larsa returned to his desk, concealing the letter from Al-Cid before Basch arrived. He also rather Penelo and Vaan not see it, Al-Cid's suggestion for them to work as guards had been obvious teasing, though Larsa wasn't sure if he was the target or Basch was. Basch was likely to have reservations upon leaving two sky pirates behind to do his job, even if they had demonstrated their scruples countless times.

As for Larsa himself, he had to admit he was unprepared to look up and see Penelo, crawling on all fours, on his desk. He had seen dancers from all over Ivalice in costume at various shows, but felt rather unused to the style of dress when on someone he knew personally and was so close to his person. It wasn't too different than what she wore when last he saw her, but for some reason it seemed to stick out in his mind more this time around. He hoped she hadn't noticed the one or two times when his eyes must have strayed from her face.

Larsa hadn't been planning on even mentioning Al-Cid's flippant suggestion but somehow during his conversation with Penelo, he had decided it might be nice to give it a try. They would be a welcome change of pace and probably wouldn't affect his work too much. Also, he trusted they would be honest with what Ivalice was like from their point of view, and that kind of information he concerned himself with greatly. Lastly, there was the selfish desire to find anything that had been lost between him and his friends.


End file.
